Class of 1958 Bios

Melvin E. Tiger, M.D., Class of 1958

Submitted by his widow, Bette Tiger

December 4th, 2006 was the day Mel was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The next day we were heading for NYC to attend the annual Cardiology Conference that he looked forward to every year. Needless to say, that and every other plan we had or might have had was placed on hold. Treatment - first radiation to the bone sites and then chemotherapy kept Mel busy and sick. Between the treatment, the disease, and the meds for all the side effects -he died on May 11, 2007.

That he is missed by me, his three children and their spouses and eight grandchildren is a given. He was our funny loving husband, Dad, PopPop Mel, and our "go to guy". His patients and our friends, upon finding out he was sick, began writing beautiful notes- hundreds in fact -attesting to not only his medical acumen as a physician, but his place in their hearts as a mensch. Previous to Medical School, Mel attended PS 48 in the Bronx; and NYU Heights for undergrad. Mel graduated from medical school at the age of 24 and began his internship at Bellvue, NYU division. The summer of '58 he returned to Camp Louise in MD where he had been one of the camp doctors for 450 girls. He came to work during his two week vacation and that is where we met. I was a senior nursing student from Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. We met in August and were married the following July 4th 1959. 

Mel began his first year of residency at NYU but by March I was five months pregnant and he was in the Army! We went to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas for his basic training and then to Romel's former base in Schwabish Gmuend Germany. Mel was the OIC of the dispensary and learned family medicine for the msot part. He would come home on a rare occasion, very excited, because he had "felt a liver"! Our daughter Michelle and son Eric were born in Germany. We traveled all over Europe with baby and "belly" in our Opel wagon.

After the two years in Germany, we came home to Philadelphia, and Mel finished his Internal Medicine residency at AEMC. He was Chief Resident his last year. He went into private practice and was on the staff of AEMC. He rounded with interns and residents and was a very respected teacher. He also was politically involved and was a member of the Medical Board and then president of the Board. His great love was writing, acting and singing in the "Bed Pan Players" at Einstein (a group of talented doctors spoofing the medical staff and the administration).

Our youngest daughter, Susan was born in '65. The child born in the states now lives in Ireland with her husband and daughter. Mel became Board Certified in Internal Medicine. He was a member of the AMA and the Philadelphia Medical Society. He was voted "Best of Philadelphia Doctors" one year and his mother was bragging about this to one of her Haddasah friends in Florida. It turned out to be Baruch Blumbergs's mother who replied- "Oh, my son just won the Nobel Prize"! Aside from medicine, he loved to travel. He made the plans and arranged the trips. We were fortunate to have seen a great deal of Europe and the Middle East as well as the USA. His favorite vacation was at North East Harbor in Maine. We climbed the mountains of Acadia National Park and climbing Sgt. Mtn. was our annual stress test.Mel ate at least two lobsters a day. I was always fearful that by the end of the week there would be a "metamorphosis" and I would be on the lookout for antennae popping out of his forehead.

He learned to do food shopping and car pooling when I went back to school. He was totally supportive of those years and told people I needed to become a psychologist to live with him! He loved the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chamber Music series as well. We also attended the opera here in Phila. as well as the Met in NYC. and the theatre-here and there and everywhere. Mel played tennis his whole life. He played wiffle ball with his children and grandkids. He taught them all the fine art of batting and pitching and fielding. I think he missed his real "calling" - he not only idolized Joe DiMaggio, but wanted to be DiMaggio. He was a loyal NY Yankee fan.

Mel also played board games- especially Monopoly and Scrabble. He played with all of us and was especially talented at cheating at Monopoly. This man from the Bronx was a proud gardener. His flowers bloomed from early spring to late fall. He spent hours ordering, planting, feeding, and watering; and it was beautiful to behold. He was an amazing photographer. We have at least 40,000 slides and reels and reels of film. He then took himself into the 21st century with digital photography and printed his own photos. And so it goes- he enjoyed the years he was given and gave of himself with intelligence and humor and love.

Have a wonderful 50th reunion, and although Mel is not with you in body - he certainly is with you in spirit